


House of the Setting Sun

by Ghost0



Series: The Spider War [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:07:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost0/pseuds/Ghost0
Summary: Cleared of all criminal charges following the conclusion of "New York Underground", Peter is something of a celebrity. But he will soon learn that being public will force him to make some hard decisions. But first, an adventure with Black Cat that will kickstart a conflict Peter never thought would be possible.
Series: The Spider War [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069466





	House of the Setting Sun

EARTH 002008

“You going to stop a crime while wearing a backpack?” Peter looked downwards, his black mask seeing two elderly looking men on the sidewalk across the street. 

“No! Just trying to get back home without getting stuck in traffic!” He answered back to them. It was a little weird he could now just casually wear a backpack while swinging through the city. But people know him now, so there really isn’t any point in trying to hide the fact he still goes to school, which has recently started up again.

The other old man shook his head. “Why don’t you walk home? It’ll get you good exercise, teach you good exercising habits!”

“I’m sure it does sir! But I do get a decent workout in with this!”

“How? You’re just hanging in the air; gravity does all the work!”

Peter simply nodded. “Good point. I’ll remember that!” He shot out a web and swung away from the old men. They shrugged their shoulders and went about their day. Surprisingly enough, that was the kind of reaction that he was getting from people, now that his identity is common knowledge. Sure, some people his age and younger kids wants pictures and stuff. But a lot of people just tend to treat him like another part of the city. Some people he has never met feel like they can just start up a conversation with him. Honestly though, he really doesn’t mind either the lack of attention or the unexpected amount. Has to be more careful about people trying to take pictures of him through his window or when he is out with Ned and MJ. But if he had to choose between this or going up against several different criminals while being hunted by the police, he will gladly take nosy paparazzi.

Right now though, he had to get home. His tutor is waiting for him there, and May is currently with Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock and won’t be home for a while. After a couple of minutes, he landed on the side of his building. The sun shining down from the sky really made Peter’s black suit with white eyes and the white spider symbol stand out. Not like his previous suit was camouflage, but it did feel different. But he could attribute that to a few different things, not just the look. He crawled upward and opened his bedroom window from the inside. He pulled himself in through the open window and closed it once he was inside.

His tutor, Felicia Hardy, heard the noise and walked across the room to peek through the open window. “So is that how you are going to enter every time? Because I think you are allowed to use the door.”

“Swung here, just made it quicker to get up here.” As he exited the bedroom, his black suit morphed and changed back into the clothes he was wearing earlier at school. Felicia raised an eyebrow when she saw the change happen in front of her.

“Still can’t get used to that.” She wore an orange shirt and jeggings. Turning around, she pulled out her laptop and set herself up on the kitchen table. “How do you shower? Does…whatever it is move out of way when you need to scrub a spot?”

“I can take it off.” Peter said, sitting down at the table and opening up his backpack. “But I think it does kind of get restless when I have it off for too long.” He scratched his head in thought. “Might actually take Happy up on his offer to examine whatever this stuff is.” Despite being in possession of the black suit for a few months now, he knows next to nothing about it. MJ theorized that since it originally came from the Osborn home, they used it to help create a clone body for Quentin Beck, the man formerly known as Mysterio. He knows that it has helped him gain a little more strength when fully suited up, it can create its own webbing, and it does seem to react a little to his thoughts. One time he wanted to leave his room to grab a pen he forgot in the other room, and his hand just reached out and the black stuff shot out and pulled it back to him. It was cool, but it was proof he really needs to try and understand what it is.

Felicia sat down across from him and typed on her computer. “Might have to make this session shorter than usual. I’ve been hired to do some freelance work later tonight and need to get stuff ready back home.”

Peter picked his head up. “Freelance? You don’t mean – “

“Pull out your history book!” She cut him off. “I know more than my fair share of European history, so this should be a breeze. The sooner we can make sure you have this nailed down, the sooner you can go back out there!” Peter dropped his question and got his textbook out. She wasn’t kidding about knowing her stuff, she started talking at the speed of light. He had to get her to slow down just a little bit to keep up. But they worked hard, Peter keeping what Felicia mentioned in the back of his mind.

******

May was sitting down across from her lawyers, Foggy and Matt. They had a few different piles of paperwork in between all of them, a fair amount of them were copies for May to keep. But it was still a bit to keep track of. “So let me make sure I have this straight.” May asked as she made sure her glasses were secure and not sliding down. “This deal that the city is making basically says that once Peter comes of age, he will automatically be made an employee of the police department?”  
“That is the easiest way to lay it out.” Foggy said. “It’s kind of like a high school athlete accepting a deal from an NFL team. Only instead of scoring touchdowns in his future, his will include a 401K and showing up to testify in trials against criminals.”

“I really want him to go to college though.” May crossed her arms. “And this seems like that chance is being taken away from him.”

“Agreed Miss Parker.” Matt spoke up. “But your nephew is an active vigilante, possessing abilities that most people don’t have. And seeing that he hasn’t signed the Sokovia Accords, he can be subject to charges and a trial.”

“But he has been helping put people in jail – “

“That can be seem as interfering with an ongoing investigation, especially if one of the people he captures turns out to be an undercover cop. And he isn’t following established NYPD and legal protocol, which means anyone he tries to capture would end up back on the street in a matter of hours.” May sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Miss Parker, I admire your nephew’s sense of obligation and responsibility. Trust me, I’m not a fan of all of these rules myself. But they need to feel like the law isn’t being broken by having him out in the city. And I can assume that talking him to him about giving it up altogether isn’t exactly an option.”

She nodded her head in agreement with that. She leaned forward and tried to find a copy given to her. “What if he signs the Accords? When he turns eighteen I mean. Would that help solve this?”

“It’s a step in the right direction.” Foggy admitted. “But that also comes with its own mess of rules and guidelines, half of which aren’t even fully worked out.” He thought for a moment, turned his head towards Matt and patting his partner on the shoulder. “But that just means we can for sure find some sort of loophole to exploit.” Matt tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. They all got out a copy of the Accords and tried to find a starting point. May felt exhausted, knowing she would be late and probably won’t see Peter until the morning.

******

Felicia stopped before opening the door and stepping outside. She remained in the stairwell and made sure to get her outfit on. It was completely black and covered her head to toe. The material was flexible, made with some Vibranium to help it block against bullets. It also helped prevent most blades from trying to tear through it. There were some white line accents on her outfit. Wrapped around her elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees. Her outfit had claws coming out, so she had to be careful when putting on her mechanical domino mask and tying her hair up into a ponytail. When all of that was done, she pushing open the door and made sure she could open it when she returned. She walked across the roof of the building, stopping when she was several feet from the edge.

“I thought you mentioned about meeting up with MJ tonight.” She turned around to see Peter in his black suit sitting on top of the roof access door. He jumped onto the ground.

“That was a lie.” He admitted.

“Clearly.” She remarked. “My fault for letting that slip during out session.”

“Did you?” He asked. “Part of me thinks it was on purpose.”

She rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile. “The only person I would allow to be paranoid about me and worry about where I am is the person I choose to call my babe. Legally speaking, you aren’t eligible. Plus, I don’t think MJ would like you two timing her.”

“I’m not…that’s not why…what even is this place?” Peter finally got out, glad his black mask was hiding the fact that he was actually red underneath. He tried to look past Felicia and walked closer to the edge to see a large warehouse. It wasn’t too far of a jump from where they were standing.

Grinning to herself, she ignored Peter and ran to the ledge, pushing off and outward. Preparing her body, she rolled when she landed on the warehouse roof. Getting back up, she ran across towards the roof access door. Spider-Man jumped and landed on the building and followed her. She could hear him trying to get her to reveal more about her mission, but she ignored him for now. Her mask, which was seemingly just a metal version of a domino mask, altered her vision when she clicked on a button on the side of the mask. She could now see which buttons were pressed the most on the keypad locking the door. She punched in the code, hearing the door clicking and opening slightly. Her hand reached out and she pulled it open wider and went inside, Peter following beside her and deciding to stop talking for now. 

They got down the stairs and stepped out into the hallway. Peter could tell this was some sort of laboratory or secret base, based on what he could see in a couple of nearby rooms. Felicia walked past him and the rooms he was looking into, going down the hall until she made a sharp turn. She found the door she was looking for, using the mask again to determine which button were pressed the most often to figure out the code. Once it was entered, she pushed her way inside with Peter closing it quietly behind him. 

“OK, can you now tell me what exactly is going on?” He turned around and made sure he was out of sight in case anyone walked by the room they were in and looked in through the window. Felicia tapped her claws on the sides of a glass container holding multiples vials of green liquid. 

“I don’t know the details or the motivation. My guess is corporate espionage.” She picked at the lock on the case until it clicked open. The case was slowly lifted, her hand reaching out to grab a couple of vials. “He didn’t specify how many he wanted but I think a couple will help ensure full payment.”

Peter rushed over and grabbed Felicia’s arm holding the vials. “I know this is weird because you are my tutor, but I can’t let you steal that.”

She turned to look at him. She didn’t show annoyance or frustration. But her face was clear of any smiles or visible emotion. “Right now, we are in an Oscorp facility. From what I have been told by the guy who employed me, whatever this is played some role in Norman’s plan to try and kill you. Just look the other way Pete. No one would blame you given everything Norman tried to do to you.” Peter didn’t move, just kept staring at the liquid remaining in the glass container. But then voices were heard out in the hallway, Peter reacting by letting Felicia’s arm go and getting to the door. She put the lid back on the container. There was a label on the lid that had a bunch of numbers on it, underneath it a name in quotes that said “Goblin Formula”. 

Peter peeked out the door and saw a couple of security guards walking past the opening for their hallway, going in the direction away from where they came. He turned and nodded and they quietly stepped out and made their way to enter the hallway. They turned so their back were facing the backs of the guards. Felicia held both vials in her hand. But her grip was too loose and one of them slipped out and started to fall. Her other hand got it just in time, but her claws scratched the floor as she caught it. The other guards turned and pulled out their weapons when they saw the intruders.

“What’s the - ?” She turned but couldn’t see Peter beside her. Shocked to find herself seemingly alone, she dodged and hug the wall a bit. Bullets flew right past her, but she moved towards where they were coming from. She had to make sure they wouldn’t signal for anyone else. Moving quickly, she reached one of the guards and elbowed him right in the collarbone as she twirled in the air. Switching the vial into the other hand, she started to bring her claw down to scratch the man’s face but felt something stop her hand from moving downward. Her heart beat a little faster, feeling herself try to break free of something she can’t see. She let go of the guard and moved backward as the other tried to shoot her in the head. She watched as something in invisible squeezed and twisted his arm to the point of dropping his gun. Something punched him in the face and knocked him down to the ground. 

Suddenly Peter materialized in front of her. He turned around and motioned for them to move. They rushed back to the stairs heading up to the roof, pushing right out and ran to the edge. He reached out for her to grab his hand before shooting out a black web and pulling them back up to the building they had jumped from. Once they were on top, they took a minute to catch their breath. She turned around to face Spider-Man. “Since when can you turn invisible?”

“I don’t know! I guess maybe…that’s never happened before.” He looked at the black material covering his hands, flipping them over. 

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not complaining. But it did give me a shock for a moment. I thought you had left me to fend for myself for a second.”

“I won’t do that. I’m a tutor’s pet, loyal to the end.” Peter reassured.  
She raised an eyebrow as she held up the vials for him to see. “Tell me then, my pet. Are you going to fight me for these?”

He thought hard for a moment. Unsure of how to react. He held his hands behind his head and leaned back into them as he thought quickly. Eventually though, his hands dropped and he shook his head. But he didn’t feel completely right doing it, no matter what that stuff might have been used for. 

Recognizing that wasn’t an easy decision, she walked over and kissed his cheek. He pulled back in surprise after it happened. She put a finger to where she assumed his lips were. “You keep quiet about that! It was legal, but I don’t want you trying to turn it into something else to brag to your friend!” She ended up giving a small grin and walked past the door to retrieve her regular clothes to change back into. Peter stood there, a little bit frozen. But with a shake of his head, he shot out a web and went on a brief nightly patrol before finally trying to get some sleep.

******

The waitress came out to give him his burger. He thanked her and ate a couple of fries. He was inside the diner but kept his red leather jacket on. Didn’t even unbutton it. He sat and waited a couple more minutes, his eyes looking up when he heard the door open. There she was, the white haired woman named Felicia Hardy. He turned back to his food, taking his first bite into the chicken sandwich just as she was sitting down.

The waitress came around to his table. “Can I get you a menu?”

“No thank you.” She held her hand up and smiled. “Won’t be staying long.” The waitress left, Felicia turning around to face the man across from her. “I guess I kept you waiting for a little while if you already got your food.”  
“Just came out.” He said. Leaning back, he put his food down and wiped his hands with a napkin. “How was the job?”

Opening up her purse, she pulled out a wooden box and placed it on the table. He reached out, opening it up just enough to see what was inside. “I wasn’t sure how many you wanted, so I grabbed a couple.”

“You got the perfect amount.” He closed the lid. Reaching all the way to the right side where the buttons were He undid a couple and reached inside to pull out an envelope. He handed it to her. “Full payment as promised.”

She started to get up and leave, but felt the need to ask a couple of questions. “So this was a whole corporate espionage thing right? Like you have something against Norman Osborn?”

It looked like the man was about to tell her a story about how he knew Norman. But he paused, thinking for a couple of moments. He eventually ended up shaking his head. “Never met Norman. But you can call certainly call it espionage.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Just been on my mind and wanted to ask.” Without another word, shot got up and walked out of the diner. He reached back into his jacket to pull out his phone. There were three numbers he had on speed dial, but he only used one of them for the past several years. It rang a couple of times before the man on the other end finally picked up.

“How are they settling in?”

“They aren’t exactly used to staying in one place.” The man on the other end responded. “Do you have what you need?”

“It’s what they need.” His finger tapped the box containing the stolen vials of Goblin Formula. “Trust me, the one here has more strength than most of the others I have encountered. They will need the edge if they are to kill him.”

“Of course. I always refer to you when it comes to studying them.” He said. “But do you think the one who finally found our site would follow us here?”

“How can he? Sure, he is smart. Have to be when you need to create your own fluid.” The man in the red jacket stretched out his hand and fingers. “But nothing suggests he is even close to dimensional travel. Prep them for their injections, I will be over in a little bit.” He hung up and put the phone back in his jacket. He buttoned it back up and resumed his meal. When he was done, he happily paid and walked out the door, carrying the formula with him.


End file.
